Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price …

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Firstly I have to say thank you to Bloomsbury for my copy of this book via Netgalley. I’ve had this book on my TBR pile for like 3 years so I am so glad I have finally found time to read it. Everyone has been talking about this series recently as A Court of Frost and Starlight was released last month. This is classed as a YA book but I don’t really agree. There are some scenes that seem a lot more New Adult to me.

One of the reasons I was excited about this book was that it’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I LOVE Beauty and the Beast and I’m really into retelling’s at the moment. If you’re expecting the Disney feel in this book though you will be disappointed. This is a grittier, darker version of the story for sure. Sarah definitely puts her own spin on the classic story.

Feyre lives with her father and her two older sisters. The first thing I have to say about Freyre’s family is that they are rather ungrateful. Freyre risks her life in order for them to survive. I did warm to them slightly over the course of the book but only slightly. In the beginning Feyre is annoying but after she stops trying to escape she actually is quite likeable. Feyre goes through so much in this book and my heart was breaking for her as she goes through it all.

Slowly but surely I fell in love with Tamlin. At first he was a grumpy surly man but chapter by chapter as those walls came down I fell a more and more in love with him. If I was a fae I would definitely be in the Spring Court.

I can already see the makings of a love triangle and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I guess I will have to wait until I read the next book to see how it unfolds.

The beginning of this book is quite slow but the action picks up later on. The beginning has a lot of world building so I expect the rest of the series may not be as slow. I liked the writing style. Being a fantasy novel in a made up world there were a lot of unfamiliar words but Sarah easily explains everything for us.

This was the first book I have read by Sarah J Maas but it won’t be my last I am eager to read the rest of this series and possibly Sarah’s Throne of Glass series too.

About Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (Queen of Shadows, Book 4, will be out in September 2015), as well as the A Court of Thorns and Roses series (out 5/5/15).

Sarah lives in Bucks County, PA, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much tea, and watches an ungodly amount of TV. When she’s not busy writing, she can be found exploring the historic and beautiful Pennsylvania countryside with her husband and canine companion.